Choices We've Made
by kinetic-cataclysm
Summary: A selection of drabbles centering around Jack, Ridley and the various things that make up their lives together. Features both Human and Non-human Path perspectives.


**A series of prompts for JackxRidley, partly because whenever I play Radiata Stories I'm tempted to write a fan fiction for such a cute pair, and partly because I'm having issues with my multi-chapter stories. I couldn't push any of these to a decent one-shot, but perhaps if the muses are with me I'll come out with one soon. **

**1. **2 a.m.-It was in the early hours of the morning that he woke with a jerk, breathing harshly with a cold sweat trickling down his forehead. He knew that sleep was an impossibility until he snuck down the cold stony corridors of the fort to see her sleeping peacefully in bed. Only then, with a small smile on his face, could he head back to his own bed with that image to dispel the nightmares.

**2. **Metaphor- Ridley and Zane stood watching Jack play with the younger Dark Elves, all of them laughing as they tumbled around on the ground. He turned to her with a curious look, and asked her again why she wanted such a fool around. She watched Jack with a fond smile as he was rolled into a muddy puddle by Mikey, murmuring, "His happiness is protection from depression, comparable with his sword from pain."

**3. **Sky- "I wish the sky was green." He said suddenly, and Ridley sat up from her position in the grass to give him an exasperated look. When all he gave her in return was an innocent smile, she shook her head. "Some of the things you say still make no sense sometimes." She muttered before laying back down to admire the clear blue sky. Next to her, Jack pouted and continued watching the sky as well. _'But green is such a prettier color.' _He thought, glancing over at Ridley's emerald orbs as they gazed upwards.

**4. **Lost Scene- In between all of the tense meetings, climactic fights, and heated arguments, there were those lost little moments of Jack and Ridley sitting together at the Ressan Tree, smiling and relaxed before heading back to Fort Helencia and the war.

**5. **Degrees- Their relationship had grown slowly, heating up one degree at a time from a cold disdain to the burning passion they both felt now.

**6. **Seize the Day- He knew they had both agreed for decorum's sake to wait until they were older to treat each other romantically. But after he had kissed her senseless after a friendly spar, the only thing he could respond to her sputtering question with was, "Sometimes, you just have to seize the moment when you never know what tomorrow brings."

**7. **Opposite- They may have dissimilar backgrounds, but Ganz couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the two of them bicker in front of him in the meeting room. With their eyes flashing, chins thrust forward stubbornly and voices raised in acute irritation- they weren't such opposites after all.

**8. **Crumble- As he carried her cold, limp body down from the tower, he could feel his

heart tearing, hear his mind falling apart like the stones behind him. Ridley was dead, and nothing his human comrades said could keep him from crumbling.

**9. **Connection- It was a tenuous connection, their lips hesitantly brushing against each other, and Jack felt himself wrapping his arms around her and pressing ever closer, just to make sure that they were as close as could be.

**10. **Lull and Storm- Ridley's moods were reminiscent of a summer thunderstorm back home. One minute she would be willing to snuggle next to him in their shared home and watch their young daughter toddle about on the floor. The next, he was wincing and vainly trying to interject as she railed at him about prolonged missions away, voice crackling like lightening.

**11. **Fight/Flight- There were few things that could make Jack tremble in fear these days. But the sight of Lord Jasne bearing down on him, face dangerously purple and screaming profanities about touching his Ridley- well, Jack had to fight down the urge to run before he took a step forward, his own voice roaring out about overprotective fathers and how Ridley should be allowed to control her own life.

**12. **Children- When everything was said and done they were still children, no matter how much they had gone through and how these emotions-much too adult-swirled around in their heads and in their stomachs when they were together. And because they were children, they didn't know what to do about it beside ignore them.

**13. **We All Float On- It was funny how blissfully the people of Radiata went about their daily lives, just floating along as if the world had not been within minutes of ending just a scant week ago. But Jack knew as he held Ridley in his arms that he had never been so happy for a chance to just relax for an afternoon.

**14. **Chess- He was unsure why Ridley had decided to teach him such a boring aristocratic game like chess, but it started to become a little clearer when she said that each time she took one of his pieces, he had to tell her a way he loved her.

**15. **Duty- It was his duty to protect Ridley. It was his purpose and his strength, and he would make sure that even if his bones were broken, his muscles torn, and skin shredded he would fulfill this duty.

**16. **Rip- This was why the dwarves should not leave their weapons lying around. Although Jack had to admire the view as Ridley walked right in front of him to his room, fuming about the tear that went from the small of her back to the end of her skirt. And that he had not told her about until Gil had cleared his throat and mentioned that humans had less care about covering themselves than elves.

**17. **Missing Time- As he lay on his deathbed, friends of old and people he had met throughout his lonely life as a wandering warrior gathered around him, he finally felt at peace and smiled, the first smile anyone had seen from him since he was sixteen. _'Soon, I'll be with you again Ridley. And then, maybe we can make up for all of the lost time.' _

**18. **Needle- He watched her in astonishment as the needle flashed in and out of his vest, swiftly and neatly stitching up the tear. As she tied the knot and snapped off the spare thread, she finally saw his gaping expression and blushed. "What? Just because I'm a knight doesn't mean I haven't trained to be a lady." She snapped, and Jack felt his own cheeks warm up as he snapped his mouth shut. But it was Ridley left speechless when he pecked her on the cheek after putting the vest back on, mumbling a quick, "Thank you," before leaving.

**19. **Comedy of Errors- It was almost hilarious, how often Jack said the wrong thing or chose the worst time to do something. Ridley could only sigh as he continually bungled his various attempts at telling her how he felt. She knew what he was getting at, but had decided it was more amusing to see his stumble over his words and sheepishly hand her a bouquet of flowers that he had accidentally dropped in the fountain while trying to ask her out on a date.

**20. **Roads- He knew that night that there had been two roads he had the choice to travel down. But there was only one that he wanted to go down, and that was the road that led to her.

**21. **Tragedy- Caesar looked on understandingly that afternoon as Jack stood in front of the fountain, tears dripping from his chin to fall into the water. He watched the innocence that had been in the boy a mere week ago disappear like those tears into the fountain. Because there cannot be a happy ending for every story, and the ones who you wanted to stand by you do not always come home with you.

**22. **Hope is the thing with feathers- He knew from the moment he realized his feelings that he had no chance with her, and so kept their relationship defined as protector and vessel, close friends and comrades. But in his chest, right above his heart, was perched a small feeling that never went away, no matter how far way he was from her or how hopeless their survival was, let one her reciprocating his feeling. It was this tiny, fluttering hope that kept him from breaking down each morning he got up, and he was grateful for its presence.

**23. **Laugh- It had been so long since she had wanted to laugh. But seeing him sit there in bed, with his hair sticking up in all directions and eyes looking around wildly for invaders, made the giggles rise up and out of her throat and into the morning air.

**24. **Hold- All she needed was this, for him to hold her, with no words or any other action. It was an embrace that told her that he would never leave, would always protect her.

**25. **Stories- Sometimes, when she was brooding about her cheerless childhood and could feel herself becoming moodier by the minute, she would badger Jack into telling her a story about his childhood. His stories were always cheerful, full of humor and happiness and light. He never mentioned his parents, instead focusing on antics he got up to around the village and the various things Adele would do with him, like building forts and playing pretend games.

Occasionally she could tell when he was embellishing a bit, but most of the time his stories made her imagine what it would have been like to grow up as a normal child in the country, where things seemed simpler, more innocent. And she would smile, and give Jack and hug for cheering her up. And he would blush, clear his throat, and then ask her shakily if he had told her the story about when he was ten and had put a bucket of snails over Adele's door.

**Tell me which ones were your favorites, yes? (Shameless begging for reviews) =)**

**There are more prompts to do, as I believe there were somewhere around sixty total that I liked. I'll put up the rest when I have time. **


End file.
